Aaron
Exodus 4 - 12, 15 - 19, 24, 27 - 32, 34 - 35, etc.
Aaron was Moses' older brother who was made his spokesman by God. He went with Moses to Egypt's Pharaoh demanding the children of Israel be released from slavery. Later God will make him Israel's first High Priest. Both He and Moses were not allowed to enter the Promised Land due to their sin in the wilderness of Zin.
Abel
Genesis 4, Matthew 23:35, Luke 11:51, Hebrews 11:4, 12:24
Abel was Adam and Eve's second son. The Bible is silent regarding whether or not he married. He was murdered in cold blood by his jealous older brother Cain. The Bible testifies that he had faith in God (Hebrews 11) and was a righteous person (Matthew 23:35).
Abraham
Genesis 17 - 26, 28, 31, 32:9, 35:12, etc.
Abraham's original name was Abram. He left his home in Ur of the Chaldees to go to the Promised Land. His faith was tested several times, the most famous of which was God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. God make several covenants with Abraham, one of which he promised to make him a father of many nations. The New Testament calls him the "father of the faithful" (Romans 4:16). Please see our article dedicated to Abraham for more information.
Please also see our chart showing Abraham's lineage to Jesus!
Absalom
2Samuel 3, 13 - 20, 1Kings 1:6, 2:7, 28, etc.
Absalom was one of King David's many sons. As an adult he attempted to seize David's throne by gaining the trust of the people and certain important people in the government. His attempt to become king through force, by gathering an army, causes David to flee Jerusalem. Absalom's army is ultimately crushed. Absalom himself, while dangling from a tree after his long hair caught its branches, is killed by army commander Joab and his men.
Achan
Joshua 7:1, 18 - 20, 24, Joshua 22:20. 1Chronicles 2:7
Achan was of the tribe of Judah. He decided, when the Israelites conquered Jericho, to take some of the city's booty for himself. This act, in direct defiance to God's command, led to the people's inability to take the city of Ai. Joshua, upon discovering Achan's grievous sin, has him stoned to death and all his possessions burned (Joshua 6:16 - 19, 7:1 - 26).
Adam
Genesis 2 - 5, Deuteronomy 32:8, Joshua 3:16, etc.
Adam's name, which means "red" or "red earth," was the first human created by God. Although told directly not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam takes it fruit offered by Eve and sins. Both he and Eve are then cast out of Eden. Please see our article dedicated to Adam for more information.
Ahab
1Kings 16 - 22, 2Kings 1, 3, 8 - 10, 21:3, 13, etc.
Ahab is considered the worst king of Israel (the northern ten tribes). He married, against God's will, a pagan woman named Jezebel. Together they expanded Israel's worship of pagan gods. Elijah the prophet had to confront him several times regarding his evil behavior. Please see our article dedicated to Ahab for more information.
Amos
Amos 1:1, 7:8 - 14, 8:2, Luke 3:25
Amos is one of the Bible's Minor Prophets whose contemporaries were Isaiah and the minor prophet Hosea. Amos wrote his Biblical book around 762 B.C. where he prophesied against Israel's oppression of the poor as well as their sexual immorality, luxury and corruption.
Balaam
Numbers 22 - 24, 31:8, 16, Deuteronomy 23:4 - 5, etc.
Balaam, a prophet, was asked by Balak, the king of the Moabites, to curse Israel as they camped in the wilderness in the days of Moses. God caused a donkey to miraculously talk to Balaam, as well as having the Angel of the Lord appear ready to kill him, to underscore what his will was regarding his behavior. Balaam ultimately circumvented God's command to not verbally curse Israel by telling Balak how he could corrupt the Israelites in order to bring God's judgment upon themselves.
Balaam was killed at the end of 1406 B.C. in the last battle Moses fought before his death on Mount Nebo.
Baruch
Nehemiah 3:20, 10:6, 11:5, Jeremiah 32:12 - 16, etc.
Baruch was from the tribe of Judah. His was the secretary (scribe) for the prophet Jeremiah who wrote down all his prophecies and then read them to the people.
Bathsheba
1Kings 1 - 2, 1Chronicles 3:5, 2Samuel 11:2 - 5, 12:24, Psalm 51:1
Bathsheba was the beautiful wife of Uriah the Hittite who served in King David's military. After David saw her bathing he summound her and the couple had sex. The king, after Bathsheba became pregnant, hatched a plan to cover his sin of adultery. His detailed plan, delineated in the Bible, brought God's judgment upon him. The penalty he received was the death of his child along with the lifelong curse that he would never again experience peace within his family.
David ends up marrying Bathsheba who produces his sons Solomon and Nathan. Solomon will go on to succeed David on the throne while it is through Nathan that Mary, Jesus' mother, traces her lineage back to David.
Belshazzar, from 553 to 539 B.C., was the last king of the Babylonian empire. It was Belshazzar who saw God's handwriting on a wall and requested the prophet Daniel interpret the meaning of "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin" (Daniel 5:25). He was killed by the Persians the same night he saw the miraculous handwriting.
Benjamin
Genesis 35:18, 24, 42:4, 36, 43:14 - 34, 44:12, etc.
Benjamin was the last son born to Jacob (Israel). Jacob's beloved wife Rachel died while giving birth to Benjamin, becoming the first woman recorded in the Bible of dying during childbirth.
Bilhah
Genesis 29:29, 30:3 - 7, 35:22, 25, 37:2, 46:25, etc.
Bilhah was Rachel's handmaid given to her by her father Laban. Rachel, who was barren, gave Bilhah to Jacob so that she could have children through her (Genesis 30). Bilhah ultimately gave birth to two sons named Dan and Naphtali.
Boaz
Ruth 2 - 4, 1Kings 7:21, 1Chronicles 2:11 - 12, 2Chronicles 3:17
Boaz was a wealthy land owner near Bethlehem. A "chance" meeting between him and a woman named Ruth results in marriage. They produce a child named Obed whose own son, Jesse, will become the father of King David.
Cain
Genesis 4, Joshua 15:57, Hebrews 11:4, 1John 3:12, Jude 1:11
Cain, Adam and Eve's first child, would grow up to become a tiller of the ground. After his sacrifice is rejected by God he becomes bitter. God confronts him regarding his rotten attitude and encourages him to overcome it. Cain, however, refuses to overcome his bitterness and, after talking with his brother Abel who made an offering accepted by the Lord, murders him in cold blood. When he is confronted by God regarding the murder he shows no remorse.
Cain's punishment from God was to have the ground he tilled not produce the same abundance it did in the past. He also was cursed to become a fugitive and vagabond his entire life.
Please see our chart showing Cain's genealogy!
Cyrus the Great
2Chronicles 36:22 - 23, Ezra 1, 3:7, 4:3 - 5, etc.
Cyrus is considered the first true king of the Persian empire. He conquered the Median Empire in 549 B.C. and the Babylonian empire in 539 B.C. It was during his rule that the Jews, who had been in captivity under the Babylonians, were allowed to return to Jerusalem.